ABOUT ARCHIVAL JOURNALS

• Are trials available?

  Yes. Contact participation@jstor.org to request a free trial of the archival journals on JSTOR. Trials based on your network’s IPs, as well as username and password-based trials, are available.

• Are collections available by discipline?

  Yes. Discipline-specific collections are offered in major disciplines, including Ecology & Botany, Business, Language & Literature, and Mathematics & Statistics.

• How many collections are offered on JSTOR?

  JSTOR currently offers 28 collections of archival journals. Of these, 13 are multidisciplinary Arts & Sciences collections, one is devoted to disciplines in the life sciences, and two additional multidisciplinary collections, Ireland and Hebrew Journals, are united by a common national or linguistic background. JSTOR also offers 12 discipline-specific collections for institutions with a specialized research focus.

• What is a moving wall?

  A moving wall is a set period of time (usually three to five years) between a journal issue’s publication date and its availability as archival content on JSTOR. The moving wall for each journal is set by the publisher to define the portion of its publication history constituting its archive.

• What does it mean for journals to be archival?

  A journal's collection of archival issues is defined by each publisher according to a set number of years that must pass after an issue's publication. Most issues are added to the archival collection of a journal within three to five years of being published.

  The complete archival record is included for most journals on JSTOR, back to the first volume and issue.

• Can I access JSTOR as an unaffiliated scholar?

  Yes. JSTOR has access plans for individuals not affiliated with a JSTOR-participating institution or public library.

  Register & Read and Early Journal Content provided limited, free access to archival journal content on JSTOR, while JPASS allows you to purchase an access plan that includes unlimited reading and limited downloading within the collection. Our Publisher Sales Service allows researchers to purchase individual articles for one-time needs.

• Can I participate in JSTOR through a consortium?

  Yes. JSTOR works collaboratively with consortia worldwide to improve its reach and provide savings to member institutions. Contact participation@jstor.org or your consortium coordinator to learn more.

• Is access available for alumni of my institution?

  Yes. The Alumni Access program allows your alumni to access the same archival journal collections offered to current users at your institution.

• How do I view usage statistics for my institution?

  Access to the JSTOR usage statistics reporting tool is managed through MyJSTOR accounts. See our Help & Support pages for more information.

• Is it possible to pay for a new collection with a lump sum?

  Yes. After a minimum number of archive collections have been licensed, some universities and four-year colleges can make a one-time payment for new archive collections.

• Are savings available?

  Yes. All higher education institutions outside of the United States fall into “savings categories” determined by country, and institutions are also given classifications based on their size and library holdings. These factors determine the institution’s savings on the list price for each collection. Savings are also available for charter and sustainer members, as well as institutions participating in JSTOR through a consortium.

• Do I need to renew my archive collections each year?

  No. JSTOR will automatically continue to provide access to the collections licensed at your institution and will send you an invoice at the beginning of your next billing cycle.

  Please note that some institutions sign licenses for fixed terms or do not have autorenew clauses in their JSTOR participation agreements. If you are unsure about your status, please contact us at participation@jstor.org.

• How does payment and invoicing work?

  Institutions are invoiced for their JSTOR archive collections on a yearly cycle, usually in January. When you begin access to a collection, you will be invoiced for the one-time Archive Capital Fee (ACF) as well as a prorated amount for the yearly Annual Access Fee (AAF). Starting at the beginning of your billing cycle, you will then be invoiced for the full Annual Access Fees for all licensed collections. Payment is due within 30 days for US institutions and 60 days for international institutions.

• My institution is not a university. Can I still get access?

  Yes. Institutions in many communities outside of higher education participate in JSTOR, including museums, secondary schools, government and not-for-profit organizations, public libraries, community colleges, and for-profit organizations.

• Is content on JSTOR ever free to access?

  Yes. The Register & Read program offers free, read-only access to more than 1,300 journals on JSTOR. Users are permitted to read up to three articles for free on JSTOR every 14 days. In addition, Early Journal Content is available for free reading and downloading. Early Journal Content covers all articles published in the United States before 1923 and articles published in other countries before 1870.

• Can I get access to the archives of single titles?

  No. Archival journal content on JSTOR is offered through aggregation only. If you are interested in getting full-run access to a single title (spanning both archival and current content for the individual journal), this option is available as part of the Current Scholarship Program.